Do you want a win now piece or do you want to develop another rookie?

I'd trade it for someone Trey Murphy level. Still not a believer of this draft.

 

They have plenty of room on the roster to add another Rookie especially if he's an NCAA Champion or lights out cold-blooded 3 pt shooter. Keep building through the draft.

 

I don’t mind getting Bridges but he’s no major piece. Just upgrading Brooks and improving the spacing for Green/Sengun to score.

Otherwise I’d rather draft and stay the course. We have everything we need, just have to develop it. We would make the playoffs that way too.

 

I agree that Bridges is the better player, just that I don't see the difference as making that much of an impact on the bottom line - Not enough of a difference to give up

A) another swing for a #1
B) 4 years of control on a cheap contract and another 4 years of RFA

And then there's Cam, Tari & Amen all needing minutes.

This team isn't ready and adding Bridges doesn't make them ready and by the time they are ready he's going to be demanding a max deal and he's not worth that - essentially he's a two year rental for the #3 pick.

He didn't carry Brooklyn anywhere but to the lottery last season and they won't be any more talented next season - let him carry them to another lottery appearance or let someone else give up the assets for the rental.

The only way I make a deal with Brooklyn and their own picks is if I'm getting "Most, if not all" of the PHX picks - Jalen, 3, 25 swap, 26, 27swap for Bridges PHX 25, 27 & 29.

 

Keep the pick and draft BPA. Hope he develops and shows promise quickly.

Then you get a season to see what Jalen Green can do. If he continues the post all star break numbers, extend him and Sengun. If not, trade him at the deadline.

What I'm trying to say is, I think you make the pick, and then everything hinges on Green. If he falls back to Earth, you hope a better start gets disgruntled by the deadline and you unload. There's no reason to rush it for maybe getting an overpriced tier 2 guy or an overpriced tier 3 guy. Go for the real thing.

If nothing comes up, you hope that Green can develop and then you still have assets to fully start to build around Sengun and Green (or whoever else emerges).

I am also of the opinion that we have talent, we just need to cultivate it. In the right situation, this team, as is, could still be really good.


It all hinges on Jalen. Still.

 

Less of guarantee that a move the Rockets can make will be enough now. I voted for Mitchell, but that is long odds and I consider that a win now and a win later move.

 

While we do have limited time on this planet, and it’s been 30 years and want a(nother) championship in your lifetime, what’s the rush?

Make the playoffs? Is that the goal?

Spoiler

Didn’t the Cavs just do this? Draft Garland(2019), trade for Allen(2021), draft Mobley(2021), trade the farm for Mitchell(2022) and now what? Fired Bickerstaff, may break up the backcourt, may breakup the two-big front court. Did they go all-in too quickly? I mean, hey, 3 winning seasons, 2 playoff appearances, that’s the goal right?

Draft Luka(2018), trade for Porzingis(2019), that flops, flip him for scraps(2022/Dinwiddie/Bertans), make a Hail Mary trade for Kyrie and yes, they are in the Finals.

I don’t think we’re OKC but I don’t see OKC or Orlando rushing out to expedite their process. (Both will have cap space like Houston had last year. Not quite like 65 million but more than 30.) … “They have their guy(s) and don’t need to do anything. We don’t have that guy or our guy and need to go get him.”

I don’t know, maybe that’s fair but I don’t necessarily see that guy out there right now, as is.

Who else?

Hawks? (Didn’t go “all-in” until Trae’s 5th year and after 2 years, looks like that’ll be broken up)
Celtics? (Stuck with their big two, and through trades along the way, on verge of a championship)
Pacers? (Made a “both teams happy” trade (Hali/Sabonis) and then later trade Bruce Brown and two firsts for Siakam)
Lakers? (They had LeBron and then cashed in their young chips for Anthony Davis. We’re talking about Mikal freaking Bridges.)
Warriors? (Stuck through Steph’s early career injury concerns and later Donkey’s antics; took advantage of rise in salary (Durant))
Knicks? (Is there a sixth man like Brunson waiting to break out and then we can also sign his college teammates? (DiVincenzo/Hart)

Twolves: Draft Wiggins(2014; actually traded Love for him), drafted Lavine(2014), drafted KAT(2015), drafted Dunn(2016), trade Lavine/Dunn/Markkanen for 69 games of Jimmy Butler, made the playoffs, lost to the Rockets in first round, back to sucking, trade Wiggins for D’Angelo Russell(2020), land the first pick, draft Edwards(2020), make their “all-in” move for Gobert(2022), trade Russell for Conley(2023)…

Suns: Draft Booker(2015), suck his first 5 years, draft Ayton(2018), trade for Chris Paul(2020), make the Finals, break up the Paul/Booker/Ayton trio(2023); trading Paul for Beal, Ayton for Grayson Allen & Nurkic and trading their remaining depth(Bridges/Johnson/Crowder) and all their picks for Durant

Sixers: stick with the Embiid/Simmons duo for 5 years; doesn’t hurt to draft a potential star with 21st pick (Maxey 2020); trade Simmons for Harden(2022); trade Harden for depth pieces; now hoping to land a star in free agency

Pelicans: landed #1 pick(Zion) same offseason they traded Anthony Davis (for Ball/Hart/Ingram/picks); traded Jrue(2020) for Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams and a boatload of picks; trade Adams/Bledsoe/Ziaire Williams for Jonas Valanciunas/Trey Murphy(2021); trade Hart/Nickeil Alexander-Walker/pick for CJ McCollum(2022); sounds like they’re gonna let Valanciunas walk and don’t want to pay Ingram and may trade him

Magic got their guys (Paolo/Franz) and are content to see it out
Thunder got their guys (SGA/ChetJalen) and are content to see it out (while also having the assets to land anyone)
Grizz got their guys (Ja/JJJr.) and largely have ridden it out
Heat don’t tank or rebuild. Just give Spoelstra your “D squad” and he’ll beat your “A squad”
Hornets/Pistons = hopeless (maybe there is hope in Charlotte with Miller/LaMelo, we’ll see)
Nets: build these super teams, see said super teams blow up in their face and left rebuilding without picks
Current Spurs, I don’t know, you hear both. Hear they’re ready to win now with Victor! Not gonna wait. Also hear they’re content to make both picks and see it through.

 

On Bridges, I see him as guy that if he was on the Rockets that Mitchell or another star could look at the Rockets and go, "I can win there" and force their way to the Rockets. I really want to see what Sengun can do with spacing. Bridges in would have the Rockets having 3 good shooters around him. Rockets would only need one more hopefully in the form of a star for Sengun to truly be unleashed.

If it is only the Number 3 and matching salary, I don't see the deal as affecting the Rockets long term enough not to want to be attractive to stars now who could also help a lot long term.

 

Apache here, checking in:

Imo, willing to trade
Dillon Brooks
VanVleet
Jeff Green
Tate
Landale
Steven Adams

Imo, keepers
Jalen Green
Sengun
Cam Whitmore
Tari Eason

Imo, on the fence
Jabari
Amen Thompson

Trades
Mikal Bridges x willing to trade players & picks

Imo, Draft targets

Dalton Knecht (age ready to contribute like Keegan Murray)

Devin Carter
Kel'el Ware
Zach Edey

 

What I want is a win now piece that we can also win later with meaning someone 26 or younger and controllable for years to come.
My next option is trade the #3 this year for a pick next year.

 

Exactly how I feel.

The question isn't "win now or draft?" Before you can answer that question, you have to first ask, "How much can these win-now guys win for you long term?" And the second question is, "What draft capitals and assets do you need to pay to get them?"

 

Players I would be interested in to try and win now with:

Jokic
Luka
Giannis
SGA
Tatum
Ant
Booker
Haliburton

List of those players who are actually available via trade:
...

 

That said, I would be open to trading back, I just wouldn't completely trade out of this draft class unless I was getting one of the players on my above list

 

I'm generally all about drafting BPA because it gives you more cracks at getting the next all star or even that elusive superstar.

The only caveats I will add are:

• if you're certain your BPA will be available later, it's fine to trade down and just get assets from another team. In 2017 the Celtics had the 1st pick but traded down knowing they could still get their guy in Tatum. So, why not get another pick along the way?
• Also, if you get an all star back for 1 pick and other smaller assets that's ok. Ray Allen was traded to the Celtics for the #5 pick and role players. Even if Jeff Green went on to become a bigger star that's not a terrible trade off.
• Lastly, if you're swapping assets. If the Rockets swap the Nets picks for the Suns picks they're just kicking the can down the road a couple years so it's not eliminating the chance of drafting an all star.

Long story short, I don't think you should ever give up a shot at drafting a star player without getting a star or a later chance at drafting a star player.

 

Just not true.

If you get a PROVEN NBA talent you get better than hoping one eventually proves they are NBA talent.

No one over 28 though.....

DD

 

Problem is there's not a single available player who would really move the needle

 

My choice: Postpone the big FA/trade move to acquire a star until next summer, after we've made a decision on Jalen. Either way, by then we'll have had another year under Udoka and should know exactly what other pieces we need to go for a title.

For this summer, try to trade ancillary pieces (Tate, Landale, etc.) for a shooter we can bring off the bench.

 

On draft day, 1-3 + 2-44 + Tate + Landale to MEM for 1-9 + 2-39 + 2025 FRP (unprotected) + Kennard
1-9 C Kel'el Ware
2-39 G AJ Johnson

Use NT-MLE on Jalen Smith 3 years, $27M (PO on Yr 3) + G Kris Dunn 3 years, $9M (PO on Yr 3)

FVV - Dunn - AJJ
Thrilla - Amen - Kennard
Brooks - Cam - Uncle Jeff
Bari - Tari - Jalen Smith
Sengawd - Adams - Ware

WCF

 

Free agent market is slim. The problem with weak draft class is that, the BPA depth of this class is not like next year: Cooper's.

This is why if we end up using #3 for a more ready win now role-player, I'm good with it.